


The Candy Negotiations

by Pangolinia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Developing Friendships, F/M, FE3H Kinkmeme, Fluff, Sharing Desserts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pangolinia/pseuds/Pangolinia
Summary: Dedue learns of several incidents involving the monastery's recluse. With the means of sweets and desserts, he pledges to make amends for the girl's troubles.
Relationships: Dedue Molinaro & Bernadetta von Varley
Kudos: 11





	The Candy Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> written for the fe3h kinkmeme prompt: https://3houseskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/1608.html?thread=1774408#cmt1774408

Dedue wore a stoic and strict mask as he looked at the man opposing him. Threat and danger oozed from every pore of his interlocutor, enshrouding the mage in an ominous aura. By now, it was nothing that could affect the armoured knight. Both ignored the thinly veiled hostility boiling between them. Only their mutual sense of loyalty and liability coerced the two men to interact with each other, enabled them to share a room. 

Hubert von Vestra and Dedue Molinaro had come to a secret alliance, born from the desire to lessen the burden of their lieges shoulders. Every minor duty solved by one of them was a triumph. Therefore to two met once in a while. Currently, they discussed the events and various mishaps of their comrades.

Now, the dark mage glowered at him suspiciously. They reached for the ultimate point of their agenda, one presented by Hubert. Dedue would never call himself skilled at evaluating people's motivations, but the advisors had danced their stiff waltz long enough. Dedue knew the repertoire of Hubert adequately to distinguish the mage's intentions: demands, wishes and shared benefits. Oh, and of course the last dreadful one: amends. Those were the delicate ones since they threatened their fragile alliance.

'It has come to my ears,' Hubert started. Dedue knew that phrase could solely indicate one thing. Something had happened, and he would have to take care of it. The tranquil loyalist sighed internally, ready to perform amends when Hubert continued.

'... that some incidents triggered by students of the Blue Lions lead to one loyal companion of Lady Edelgard feeling indisposed. Or rather more indisposed than usual.' Dedue cursed mentally. Not that his countenance indicated more than is usually stoic demeanour. He knew his face never betrayed his genuine feelings. His facial muscles barely moved as if someone chiselled his face from stone.

That was an urgent matter, maybe one in need of consolidation with his royal highness. Dedue made a list of people inclined to trigger such events. There were three possibilities: Ingrid, Felix and Sylvain. All three of Fheargus nobility currently became involved with members of the Black Eagles. Dedue thought it impossible for people like Annette, Ashe or Mercedes to emit even a grain of resentment.

'Might I inquire the names of the people involved?' The armoured knight resigned to his fate, a bunch of cardinal compensation crossed his mind.

'You may. The individuals in question are Ingrid, Felix and Sylvain. The empire would appreciate it if the kingdom would take measurements to prevent such unpleasantries in the future.' Dedue sighed audibly. All three of them.

'And who is the individual compromised?' He barely dared to ask Hubert for the name. The armoured knight knew all about the adrestian nobles and their quirks. From his perspective, the adrestian nobles were vainglorious and pretentious, more so than their counterparts from Fheargus.  
  
'Bernadetta von Varley.' Dedue vaguely discerned the name and the position connected to it. However, he failed miserably to envision a face belonging to the lady.

'Fine. I will take care of the matter.' With that, the meeting ended, and both parties retreated to their blissful ignorance of each other's existence. Dedue knew today would be a long day.

*********

Dedue investigated the three incidents. First, he tried interrogating Ingrid about her encounter with Bernadetta. The pegasus knight confessed her unreasonable acts. However, the heiress proclaimed the drastic measurement as essential for the girl's future. Moreover, she insisted on pursuing their training, despite the objection.

Next, Dedue paid Felix a visit, who unsurprisingly saw no wrong on his side. The conversation proved more futile than the previous one with Ingrid. While Dedue could reason with Ingrid, Felix turned a deaf ear on the Duscuran's efforts. In contrary, the cantankerous man declared Bernadetta's mysterious technique as essential for honing his swordsmanship.

That left only Sylvain. From all three of them, Dedue was sure the redhead would be the most compliant on the prevailing matter. Honestly, Sylvain was the only one of them who could endure the Duscuran's presence. And to his surprise, he genuinely enjoyed spending time with the free spirit. That was if he ignored the rumours about the man's love life. Luckily, the opportunity for a talk presented itself as the professor assigned both of them to prepare today's desserts.

Gradually Dedue sifted flour and icing sugar into two deep bowls. The powdery combination silently trickled like snow, promptly placing a white blanket over the ground. While Dedue whisked the dry ingredients together, Sylvain hurried to gather chilled butter and eggs from a nearby kitchen maid. Every inch the skirt chaser everyone claimed him to be, the noble muttered something into the woman's ear. She blushed, giggled, and handed the notorious heir a tray with the required ingredients. The cavalier returned to him and lay down the plate beside the two bowls. With a knife in his hand, the redhead examined Dedue's stoic face.

'Come on, Dedue. There is something on your mind? Rumours, I presume? You know I couldn't care less about them.' Observant as ever. Proficiently the cavalier diced the chilled butter and distributed the pieces evenly among the two bowls on the kitchen board. The armoured knight handed him an apron and tied on his own around the waist.

'I wouldn't call it a rumour. It is more of a complaint.' The two lions continued and rubbed the butter with their fingertips into the flour. Large lumps of butter transformed into a resemblance of fine breadcrumbs. As Dedue was pleased with the texture, he lay the bowl next to him. So did Sylvain. The cavalier brushed his chin as he pondered about Dedue's declaration. The gesture left white marks on his face as well as small crumbs of half-finished dough.

'I'm afraid I can't recall anything, but the usual flirtatious embarks and heartbreaks.' The noble shrugged it off and cracked one egg into a small bowl. Before he started to beat the egg with a wire whisk, Sylvain added a splash of milk. Meanwhile, the Duscuran finely grated orange zests into the coarse dough. Next, he scraped out some vanilla pods and included their seeds to the blend.

Dedue inhaled the superb quality of the spice. It consisted of cosy and comforting nuances that prompted memories of home, as well as the darker facet of treacle. Combined with the sweet citrusy note and astringency of the orange, Dedue knew the rich and flakey crust would deliver a subtle sweetness to the traditional dessert.

'Perhaps you can remember making advances on a certain girl. Her name is Bernadetta von Varley.' Dedue added the frothy egg blend to the flour mixture as he awaited Sylvain's reply.

'Oh, you mean Bernie? Believe me or not, but I would never make advances on her.' Dedue believed him. Skirt chaser or not, Sylvain was not prone lying to a friend. The liquid mix started soaking the dry ingredients when Dedue gently kneaded the dough into a ball.

'Then what happened exactly?' Finally, the dough was ready. Sylvain sacrificed himself and pulled a small piece from the ball to taste the quality. He chewed thereon and gave Dedue an appreciative smile.

'This tastes amazing. I can't believe I made this. Now, the ladies will be even more smitten by my skills. Oh, and concerning Bernie, I did discover a half-written manuscript of hers. And I loved it. I wanted to tell her how much I cherished it, but I guess she was busy that day. She abandoned me in the middle of praising. Can you believe it?'

After all the Duscuran had heard from Ingrid and Felix, he could believe it. The girl seemed to be of the timid and shy kind. Would it be sufficient to tell his comrades to stay away from her? Should he talk to the girl?

As Dedue thought about the dilemma, he balanced the bowls to a nearby student. The pale dame, Marianna Dedue remembered her name, accepted his goods, and cast a spell to freeze the balls of dough. On his return to Sylvain, he grabbed some fresh albinean berries and noa fruits for the filling.

'How can I identify her?' He lay the berries to one side of the plate. With a sharpened knife, Dedue scored around the middle of the noa fruit and tore the crop into several halves. Next to him, Sylvain combined sugar, water, cornstarch and a halved lemon in a small pan. Patiently, the redhead waited for Dedue to remove the pips from the fruit.

'Well, she has short, fluffy purple hair. As easily startled as a deer. Plain, a rather small stature, flat-chest-,' Dedue interrupted the promiscuous redhead while he dropped fruits, juice and seeds into the pan.

'That should be sufficient. Thank you.' They stayed in mutual silence, watched the ingredients boil and turn into a ruby pulp. After a few minutes, the texture thickened into a gel.

'You could talk to her. She lives next door to Annette.' It sounded like a valid idea. Only then, Dedue was able to complete his amend and secure the incidents wouldn't cause any worries for his highness.

'By the way, Bernadetta enjoys sweets. These sweet buns would be ideal for gaining her trust.' Sylvain muttered in a conspirational tone as if he had suggested sneaking into a lady's chamber by the light of the night.

'How do you know?' The cavalier's knowledge about the most intimate preferences of all students, female and male alike, never ceased to amaze the peaceful man. If the redhead had harboured the slightest grain of ambition, he would have been a magnificent mediator for the kingdom.

'I'm intimately acquainted with Dorothea,' The noble suggestively wiggled his eyebrows. Sylvain emphasised their relation by showing Dedue the scarce distance between his index and his thumb. Then, the cavalier squeezed his fingers together. 'And Dorothea is befriended to Bernadetta. I gathered a few information about Bernie. I intend composing a letter to express my sincere admiration for her writings.' That did sound harmless to Dedue.

By the time, the dough was ready to shape the buns, Dedue was none the wiser. He sprinkled the kitchen board and the dough with a little flour before rolling it out into a big square. Next, Dedue cut out smaller quadrangles and placed a gallop of fruity marmalade on each. With his fingertips, the armoured knight picked up the corners of a square and pinched them tightly together. Lastly, he pinched the sides together and sealed the edges with water. He laid the finished bun on a baking sheet another student had prepared.

Contently, he looked at his work. A row of perfectly even biscuits. Assuredly, Bernadetta would acknowledge the subtle sweetness and the fruity filling of the pastries. As Dedue gazed at Sylvain's delicacies, he couldn't help but smile. The buns looked like someone crumpled a piece of paper displeased with its content. The red sauce leaked out and soiled the wood beneath. The cavalier looked helplessly at him, unsure how to clean up the debacle.

'Well, at least I got to see a smile on your face.' Still smiling, Dedue showed Sylvain his technique and supervised his progress for a while. As the redhead shaped his first bun successfully, Dedue heated the oven with a fire spell. The flames of anticipation licked on his thoughts as the delicacies developed a slightly golden brown colour and filled the kitchen with their mouthwatering scent.

*********

The placid Duscuran stood in front of the wooden door that belonged to Bernadetta's room, a tray of piping hot, sweet buns balanced in his hand. With his unoccupied hand, Dedue knocked on the door once. No reaction. Then he knocked on the door twice. Dedue heard a faint rustling on the other side of the door. As if someone had moved a blanket to slip out of bed. Or hide beneath it. Still, there was no acoustic sound or any indication that the door would open soon. Patiently, he knocked for a third time. This time, he cleared his throat and called for the lady who inhabited the chamber.

'Bernadetta? My name is Dedue. I wish to talk to you.' Once more, the armoured knight waited until he thought the girl neglected him for good. At long last something happened. Again he perceived a rustling sound as the girl in question moved. So Bernadetta hid under a blanket Dedue concluded. He heard springy, uncertain steps as the girl proceeded to the door.

'Bernadetta?' Dedue waited to detect the clicking sound of a door unlocked, but nothing of that sort occurred. The door stayed closed, and the girl behind it remained silent. No wonder, someone as impatient as Ingrid lifted the wood off its hinges, Dedue mused. However, Dedue was in no hurry. After all, patience and friendliness often led to a more desirable success than brute force.

'I deliver freshly baked sweet buns.' Dedue used his hand to fan the smell of freshly baked pastries towards Bernadetta. Mayhap this would pique her curiosity enough to acknowledge his presence. As it turned out, it was a simple but effective way to evoke a response from the timid maiden.

'F-For Bernie? Oh, no..., What did you do wrong this time, Bernie? Is this a trap? Lure me with some sweet and then poison me?' Bernadetta's vocal range fascinated the tranquil Duscuran. She started her speech with a muffled and whispering timbre before her voice rose a few octaves. The lady's voice became shrill enough to let the ceramic on his shoulders dance in resonance. 

'You have done nothing wrong. I came here on behalf of my comrades to ask for pardon for their behaviour.' Or, Dedue added thoughtfully, to mitigate the conflict potential between the houses with sweet pastry and fruity jam. The loyal servant could not allow trifle incidents escalate to an extent his highness got involved. 

'Huh? Apology? I don't remember anything.' The girl sounded sincerely confused. Time passed, and Bernadetta still scoured her memory for significant confrontations of the last days. Mayhaps, the mentioned events were not as upsetting for the girl as Hubert had indicated?

'There have been several incidents with other students. You might remember Ingrid, Felix and Sylvain?' Dedue elaborated to clarify the circumstances that led to their first contact. The moment when Bernadetta recollected the aforementioned incidents, was palpable to the armoured knight. The noble inhaled sharply and inflated her lungs with air. Next, Bernadetta started spouting incoherent fragments.

'B-But I did train with Ingrid. I certainly didn't use any ominous technique on Felix. And most definitely I wouldn't burn Sylvain. No matter what you have heard, Bernie wouldn't do such things.' And the girl continued to jump from one frantic conclusion to another. One moment, Bernadetta demanded conclusive evidence of her involvement. The other moment, she begged him for one more breath before she would meet her cruel fate. With each word spoken, Bernadetta's voice rose higher and higher until Dedue believed his eardrums would rupture. Fortunately, the girl's lungs needed a break, a golden opportunity, the terse man would not miss.

'...I apologise for the trouble.' Throughout the years, numerous people had ascribed attributes such as imperturbable and laconic to Dedue. Now, in the face of such a paroxysm of fear, the Duscuran founded himself truly inarticulate. 

'S-So everything is alright? C-Can we leave it at that?' If her tone was any indication, Bernadetta sounded incredulous. Almost as if she anticipated he would breach the rigid barrier in an instant and conduct her to an unpredictable destiny.

'If this is your wish. I will leave the pastries at your doorstep. Make sure to eat them while they are hot.' Thereupon, Dedue laid down the tray with delectable buns. There was no reason to push the girl. He would monitor Bernadetta's behaviour in the days to come. Dedue receded down the corridor, ensuring his footsteps were easily audible and recognisable for the timid lady. 

Dedue heard a creak as Bernadetta's door opened. Unusually curious, Dedue turned around and hid behind a massive pillar. Just at the right time to witness an elegant, slender hand reaching for the baked goods. A mop of purple hair followed as she bent down for the food. The hand hovered over the steaming buns for a moment. Most likely, the girl tarried to take something from an unknown person. Ultimately, her fingers closed around the sturdy handles of the tray and hauled it into her chamber. 

Silently, the door closed, leaving no more traces of their first encounter. For a few more moments, Dedue stared at the door, pondering about subsequent moves in the matter. Feasibly the gesture would appease Bernadetta. Or rather, Hubert. At any rate, there was nothing more that Dedue wanted to achieve for that day. Nonetheless, the Duscuran felt obligated to check on Bernadetta sometime later.

*********

Later that day, Dedue visited the greenhouse to water the roses from Duscur. To his surprise, someone had completed his duty beforehand. He dipped a finger into the moist soil to ascertain that the roots would not rot. Whoever did water them, knew how to cultivate the flowers. As Dedue investigated the immediate vicinity, he discovered a folded letter. He unfolded the communique, a thick and extravagant paper that only a noble could afford. Dedue read the artistic calligraphy a few times before a smile appeared on his face. The letter seemed to have crowned the candy negotiations a success.


End file.
